Even as controversy continues to rage in Maharashtra and a few other states over the ban of meat slaughter and sale during select religious festivals including Jain festival Paryushan, urban areas of Karnataka will continue to follow a similar rule which has been in place for some years now.
Come Ganesh Chaturthi on September 17, and slaughter houses in the state will pull down their shutters for the day.
This is a rule which had been introduced by the BJP government under the Karnataka Municipality Act and applies to nine festivals across the year.
Slaughter and sale of meat is banned on Maha Shivaratri, Mahaveer Jayanti, Ramanavami, Ambedkar Jayanti, Buddha Poornima, Krishna Janmashtami, Ganesh Chaturthi, Gandhi Jayanti and Sarvodaya Day.
The ban was enforced under the Karnataka Municipality Act.
"The ban is on slaughter and sale of meat, we cannot restrict hotels from selling meat. The ban has been place for almost four years now," K A Nanjappa, Joint Director (Animal Husbandry) told The News Minute.
Though the BJP brought in the ban, the Congress government that has been in power since 2013 has not done anything to revoke the nine-day ban.
When the ban had been introduced, it had become controversial. Dalit groups amongst others had taken exception to the ban and said that the restriction to slaughter animals and sell meat on Ambedkar Jayanti would send a message that B.R. Ambedkar was against the eating of non-vegetarian food.